The Best Young Adult Audiobooks to Listen to as a Grown Woman

In some ways, Charlie's teenage experiences are typical: he goes through the same social awkwardness and first romances that many young people do. But Charlie must also contend with great trauma and tragedies, including the deaths of two people close to him. Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a tender portrait of young adulthood that teens and adults alike will be moved by.

A Wrinkle in Time is as gripping and thought-provoking today as it was when first released in 1962. This new audiobook edition includes an introduction from Ava DuVernay, who directed the 2018 film version, and a foreword by author Madeleine L'Engle herself. The protagonist—Meg Murray, a young girl determined to rescue her missing father from supernatural forces—is easy for people of all ages to relate to and root for.

From its unforgettable title to its poignant, relatable depiction of a young girl's coming of age, Judy Blume's Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret has been captivating tweens and teens for half a century. Today's young listeners will hear their own voice in Margaret's plaintive questions, while grown women will look back on their adolescent years and realize how far they have come—even on the days when nothing seems to go right.

First drink. First prank. First friend. First love. Last words.   

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words - and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet François Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps”. Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young, who will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.   

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A modern classic, this stunning debut marked number one best-selling author John Green’s arrival as a groundbreaking new voice in contemporary fiction. 

Imagine it were possible to bring the characters from a book to life. Not like when you listen to an audiobook with such enchantment that the characters seem to jump off the pages and into your bedroom...but for real. Imagine they could actually climb out of the pages and into our world. Then imagine if those characters brought their world into ours. This is the story of young Meggie, who lives a quiet life alone with her father Mo, a bookbinder, until one cruel night when Mo reads aloud from Inkheart, and an evil ruler named Capricorn escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books.

The land of Orïsha has a long and storied history of magic. When a power-hungry new monarchy declares war against all magic users, young Zélie risks her life to defeat Orïsha's new rulers, bring magic back to her country, and avenge her mother's murder. The first in Tomi Adeyemi's Legacy of Orïsha series, Children of Blood and Bone is an award-winning audiobook that will inspire every woman to believe in her own power. And Hall of Fame narrator Bahni Turpin's performance will thrill listeners of all ages.

Binti is the first of her people to be accepted to the prestigious Oomza University. But her success comes with many drawbacks. To receive her education, she must travel far from her homeworld, leaving her people and traditions behind. And the planet on which Oomza University is located is at war with a ruthless, vengeful alien race. Binti is the first, award-winning entry in Nnedi Okorafor's gripping trilogy, narrated by the remarkable Robin Miles.

In a dystopian version of Chicago, 16-year-old kids like Beatrice Prior must choose a faction and pass through a series of deadly tests—otherwise, they will spend the rest of their lives struggling for survival on the streets. For Tris, however, the options for her future are complicated by her unusual abilities, and her growing knowledge of a city-wide conspiracy. The first in a trilogy by Veronica Roth, Divergent is a young adult novel with themes that have universal appeal: discovering your hidden strengths and taking charge of your own destiny.

Even in a family of witches, Tea is different. Her power to raise the dead—including, accidentally, her brother—makes her the object of fear and scorn, until a bone witch with powers similar to her own takes her and her brother away to teach them all she knows. Will Tea be able to control her powers and make a new life for herself? Or is she doomed to a lonely and unhappy existence? The first in a series by Rin Chupeco, The Bone Witch is an entrancing listen.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is an exciting and emotional animated television series, which aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons and is beloved by fans of all ages. Those same fans can now enjoy The Kyoshi Novels, a series of young adult books that reveals the origins of Kyoshi, a legendary avatar with great power but a troubled, hardscrabble past. After all, you are never too old to learn more about your favorite characters.

Tucked in New York's Hudson Valley, Blythewood Academy is a place for young ladies of privilege, not factory girls. But with no father to speak of and her mother newly dead, 17-year-old Avaline Hall has little choice but to make this elite boarding school her new home. Besides, given her mother's connection to the academy, perhaps Blythewood can provide Avaline with the answers she has been seeking about her family's troubled history. Atmospheric and full of mystery, Blythewood is an unpausable listen about dark forces, forbidden love, and a determined young woman.

Jethro Creighton was only a child when the American Civil War began. By the war's end, he had been forced to grow up far too fast, and he now understood all too well the ways in which war can change a nation—and the people in it. First published in 1964 and winner of a 1965 Newbury Honor, Irene Hunt's Across Five Aprils is based on the stories her grandfather told her about his own life as a boy. This historical classic and compelling coming-of-age tale takes on new life in audiobook form, thanks to Terry Bregy's attentive narration.

Jane is a Black girl living in post-Civil War America. In Justina Ireland's chilling Dread Nation series, that means Jane is required to learn how to fight the zombie hordes that have plagued the nation for the past 20 years. And Jane, though she longs to return home to Kentucky, has little choice but to fight her way to the bottom of a conspiracy that threatens some of Maryland's most elite families. Bahni Turpin narrates, brilliantly.

Set during World War II and filled with authentic details, Graham Salisbury's Prisoners of the Empire series explores how America's xenophobic reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor affected Japanese American families living in Hawaii. The first novel, Under the Blood-Red Sun follows Tomi Nakaji, a teenage boy who relies on his friends for help and support after his older relatives are abruptly arrested because of their ethnic heritage. Narrator Greg Watanabe gives voice to Tomi's sense of outrage and emotional turmoil.

Twenty years after the Spanish Civil War ended with a ruthless fascist taking power, young and privileged Daniel Matheson has no idea what kinds of devastation the conflict has left behind. It is not until he visits the country himself and meets Ana, whose family has been irrevocably altered by the fascist regime, that he begins to realize the true costs of war—and puts himself at risk as well. The Fountains of Silence is read by a full cast that skillfully brings Ruta Sepetys' s emotionally intense novel to life.

Just because Angie Thomas writes her novels with young people in mind doesn't mean she pulls any punches. The Hate U Give, about a Black teenager who witnesses the police murder of her unarmed best friend, is a harrowing but sadly necessary young adult book. When powerfully read by Bahni Turpin, it becomes a transcendent experience, forcing listeners to confront the realities that all too many teenagers—and adults—face.

Willowdean "Dumplin'" Dickson has always been fat, happy, and proud—until an unexpected crush on a handsome and athletic boy sends her self-confidence into a tailspin. So, to prove her worth, she enters a local teen beauty pageant. Dumplin' is an upbeat and inspiring novel with a positive message that listeners of all ages deserve to hear. It is passionately read by veteran narrator Eileen Stevens.

After the sudden death of her "perfect" sister Olga, Julia's own faults only seem that much more obvious, especially to her mother. But even as she grieves this tragic loss, Julia comes to suspect that her sister was not quite who she seemed to be. Is it possible that Olga was as much of a “failure” at being a good daughter as Julia? I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter will speak to anyone who has felt out of place and out of sync with their family at any age.

Natasha and Daniel both have a lot going on in their lives, not all of it good. And yet, from the moment they meet by chance on a New York City street, they feel something special between them... something that may help to heal the hurts inside them both. Read by a trio of talented narrators, Nicola Yoon's celebrated The Sun Is Also a Star tells the deeply moving story of two young people who find solace and acceptance in each other.

Written and read by award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming is a series of honest, emotional poems about growing up in both the north and the south in Jim Crow America. Woodson recounts the many challenges she encountered—including her personal struggles with reading—and how they helped her become the insightful writer she is today.

Simon Spier hasn't told anyone that he's gay...at least, not on purpose. After a misplaced email leaves both Simon and his anonymous crush vulnerable to blackmail, Simon is forced to make a series of difficult, life-changing decisions. Becky Albertalli's Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is the award-winning inspiration for the film Love, Simon and the television show Love, Victor.

Before his groundbreaking How to Be an Antiracist, author Ibram X. Kendi won acclaim for Stamped from the Beginning, which details how deeply racism is embedded in American thought, past and present. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You is a remix of his National Book Award-winning book tailored to younger listeners. Providing an eye-opening introduction to the history of racism and antiracism in America, this is an essential listen for white Americans of all ages who are still new to the topic and want to learn how to recognize and undo their own racist thought patterns.

Animal lovers of all ages will enjoy The Elephant Whisperer, the exciting and touching saga of one man's efforts to save a herd of elephants. Despite initial reservations, Lawrence Anthony, a conservationist working in South Africa, came to cherish his time with "his" elephants. This version, read by Hall of Fame narrator Simon Vance, has been adapted for younger listeners, making the material easier to digest for not only kids but also busy grownup women who multitask while listening.

Unfortunately, the era of Covid-19 is not the first time the world has confronted a deadly pandemic. Very, Very, Very Dreadful provides a scary but necessary look back at the 1918 flu epidemic that killed more than 50 million people worldwide. Since Covid-19 has affected every single person across the globe, Albert Marrin's powerful and informative book is valuable to listeners of all ages.

If you've always been fascinated by the mystery of Anastasia and want to learn the truth about the end of the Romanov dynasty, this is a must-listen. An entire cast of narrators reads Candace Fleming's gripping account of the royals, revealing how their determined ignorance ultimately cost them everything, including their lives. The Family Romanov goes beyond legends and children's cartoons to inform listeners about one of the most pivotal moments in modern Russian history.

As a child, Francisco Jiménez was a farm laborer; today, he is an educator and an award-winning author. In Reaching Out, an autobiographical work aimed at young adults, Jiménez describes the challenges he faced in his efforts to continue his education, from poverty and self-doubt to guilt over leaving his family just like his father did. The author explores how his dreams kept him going throughout his teen years, even when it seemed like those dreams were impossible to achieve, making Reaching Out an inspiring listen for women struggling to achieve dreams of their own.